The Inn at Irving Place fills in quickly as editors, photographers and friends gathered to celebrate Paola Hernandez, the up and coming Mexican designer, premiering her Spring 2010 collection.

Hernandez, a graduate of Central Saint Martins College in London, spent part of her career in Milan mastering the craft of cobbling, wonderfully apparent in her Spring 2010 collection. All of the shoes and bags are designed by Hernandez herself and are all manufactured in Mexico.

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All photos by Gabrielle Swan. Paola Hernandez poses with model.

Intellectuals were the inspiration for the collection, and the Inn at Irving Place serves as the perfect backdrop for the small presentation. The models lounge on antique furniture playing chess, reading novels and pondering what one must imagine to be deeply engaging philosophical thoughts.

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The collection showcases a neutral colour palette. Light cotton tops, worn as dresses, are finished with intricate topstitching and pocket details. Both the men and women’s collections are seeped in androgyny, with both sexes outfitted in bowties.

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Personal favourites include black high-waisted shorts paired with a crème-coloured, sheer, classic cut tank, layered with a white cotton sleeveless top with flowing bias cut fabric draping at the sides. Hernandez’s attention to details is revealed in the draping at the sides of the top, which is lined in the same fabric as the crème tank layered underneath. Still, the most impressive part of the collection is the footwear. The oxfords are done in combinations of white, black and tones of grey patent leather, and are impeccable in both quality and style. It is no wonder that Hernandez was given a grant by ANPIC and sent off to Italy to perfect her craft at ARS Sutoria.

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The shoes and clothing exist in such perfect harmony, it is hard to decipher which design came first. Either way, Hernandez’s Spring 2010 collection as a whole is a sophisticated work of fashion and representative of what Hernandez is all about: discovery.

Part 5 …